Canned Souls 5

Yan Xianchuan set the box of caramel apples on a relatively clean patch of concrete by the roadside, rolled up her sleeves, and caught the spiky-haired man's incoming fist. She wrenched it in the opposite direction until the crack of bone breaking rang out loud and clear.

The spiky-haired man screamed in pain, his eyes turning cruel as his other metal arm swung toward her. Yan Xianchuan let go, sidestepped behind him, and kicked him square in the back.

A clatter echoed.

The spiky-haired man crashed into a trash can, tumbling into a pile of vegetable leaves and fish bones, out cold.

The others charged with their knives, only to be taken down just as cleanly by Yan Xianchuan, ending up in a neat row on the ground.

She deliberately held back, not wanting to cause a death.

The sullen-faced man who had been beaten coughed out two mouthfuls of blood, steadied himself against the wall, and said in a hoarse voice, "Thanks."

"No need. I wasn't helping you," Yan Xianchuan said, adjusting her clothes, then turned back to retrieve the caramel apples.

She stepped around the obstacles on the ground and continued on her way to the barbecue joint.

"Wait, wait!"

The man behind her wiped the blood from his face and limped to catch up, a ragged eyebrow raised. "You know who they were?"

Yan Xianchuan said coolly, "Who they are is none of my business."

The man slumped again, looking like he owed millions, and said, "They're Black Claw Gang members. You helped me, so they'll have their eyes on you now, and they'll definitely come after you."

"The Black Claw Gang never lets a grudge go; they won't let you off."

Yan Xianchuan remained unbothered, but she stopped, watching this sighing man for a moment before taking slight interest. She asked, "So why have they set their sights on you?"

"My name's Tan Yiyuan," he said, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his inner pocket and offering one to Yan Xianchuan. When she didn't move, he took one out and put it in his mouth. "I used to be in the Black Claw Gang, but I quit."

"Once you're in the Black Claw Gang, there's no leaving, only death. After I left, they branded me a traitor and wanted to drag me back for a trial."

"I moved four or five times, but they still found me." Tan Yiyuan exhaled a puff of smoke. He didn't look old, but his expression was weathered, his eyes full of melancholy.

"This time, I've dragged you into it. They're unreasonable, so they'll definitely come for revenge."

"So why did you leave the gang?" Yan Xianchuan asked.

Tan Yiyuan's expression softened, as if recalling something. "I used to think the fighting was exciting, that showing off my strength was impressive. Shouting anti-conglomerate slogans every day made me feel like a big hero. Later, I realized that living a good life is what really makes a hero."

He gave a bitter smile. "I know the owner of Reincarnation; I'll ask her to put in a word with the Black Claw Gang leader so they leave you alone."

Yan Xianchuan said, "Can Zhu En solve your problem?"

Tan Yiyuan said, "It's not the same. The Black Claw Gang is harsh with traitors."

Tan Yiyuan coughed twice, then stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it into the overturned trash can. "Anyway, thanks."

With that, he limped back the way he came, toward the Reincarnation bar.

Yan Xianchuan half-wanted to call him back. She wasn't afraid of a fight, after all; she could just take them all down if it came to that. But on second thought, having people come looking for trouble every few days would indeed be a nuisance.

Her interest in Tan Yiyuan wasn't enough to make her get involved, and she didn't feel a sudden fit of impulse right now.

She deliberated for a moment, then decided to put the incident aside and focus on the barbecue.

The grilled fish here was one of the top three signature dishes in the entire commercial district, not to be missed.

Yan Xianchuan had a delightful barbecue, with skewers heavy on spice and salt, sizzling with oil and aroma, washed down with ice-cold beer that had a rich malt flavor. Around her, there was the crisp clink of glass and the raucous chatter.

She turned down a few people who came to flirt, ate the caramel apples as a dessert, and on the way home, she somehow found herself ducking into a cake shop and buying a pudding to go.

The next day, she went to the bar again, where the arguing couple from before were now sitting together, kissing sweetly.

"What'll you have?" The owner Zhu En swayed over, her earrings dangling to her collarbone, reflecting the ceiling lights.

"Whatever," Yan Xianchuan said. "But make it good."

"No problem." Zhu En snapped her fingers, took a tall-necked bottle from the shelf, and poured. The pink liquor was so thick it clung to the glass, like smeared watercolors.

"I really didn't peg you for such a bruiser. You took them down without cybernetic arms." Zhu En mixed the drink as she spoke. "Though I guess that's just an alpha for you."

"How do you know?" Yan Xianchuan was surprised.

Most alphas were heavily built with obvious muscle, but this body looked ordinary, even a little skinny. Except for being fairly tall, there was nothing alpha about it.

Zhu En gave a snort of a laugh. "Only alphas skip suppressants."

Pheromones, right.

Yan Xianchuan still didn't have a firm grasp on this invisible organ she'd apparently always had. She mentally translated pheromones into "perfume scent": people with them were like those wearing perfume; those without were like those who weren't. When both were present, she had to take a second to tell which scent was natural and which was artificial.

In Yan Xianchuan's view, humans came in two sexes at the most obvious level; suddenly turning that into six was taking some getting used to.

With mechanical prosthetics though, the natural physical gap between sexes wasn't as pronounced.

No matter how tough your body was, it couldn't take bullets. When a hail of shots came down, was there any difference between alpha and beta?

Pheromones were more of a flirting thing.

Realizing this, Yan Xianchuan suddenly felt that all her wandering around was practically like strolling nude. No wonder people kept hitting on her, then rolling their eyes when she turned them down.

She hadn't thought anything of it, since the locals seemed straightforward, and a bit of temper was only natural.

Suddenly the chair felt uneasy beneath her. "Do you sell suppressants here?" Yan Xianchuan asked.

"Huh?" Zhu En dropped some ice into the glass and raised an eyebrow.

Yan Xianchuan kept a serious face. "I really need them."

"I don't get you people." Zhu En shook her head, bent down to pull a pill from a drawer, and tossed it over. "Two hundred credits. That'll last a week."

"I've already put in a word with the Black Claw Gang, so don't worry; they won't come looking for trouble."

Zhu En wiped down the counter, then let out a sigh. "Old Tan, though, is a real tragic case. What a shame. I don't know if we'll ever see him again."

Yan Xianchuan said, "Go on?"

Zhu En seemed in the mood to chat, so she leaned against the counter and poured herself a drink. "He might look ordinary now, but he used to be someone. He was the second-in-command of the Black Claw Gang. Then he had a falling-out with the boss—I don't know the details—but he wanted to go out on his own, leave the gang. The gang boss wouldn't have it and sent people to kill him."

"What a load of bullshit rules!" Zhu En spat. "I always said that poison scorpion was no good. If he hadn't taken out the previous boss with a cheap shot, who knows who'd be running the show now."

"Old Tan, he's had it rough. Moved several times, with a wife and kid, now scraping by doing cybernetic repairs. He even takes bounty jobs on the side for extra cash to cover the bills."

"And now even that peace of mind is over." Zhu En downed her drink in one, then said in frustration, "I really wish someone would wipe out that garbage gang once and for all!"

Yan Xianchuan nodded noncommittally. "He has had it rough."

Zhu En said, worry lining her face, "I wonder where he'll go this time."

Yan Xianchuan asked, "You seem pretty concerned about him."

The bar owner paused, then said, half in emotion, half in jest, "Well, in this day and age, there aren't many people with any sense of loyalty."

A regular came by and called Zhu En away. Yan Xianchuan finished her drink, suddenly feeling a bit bored—even the bickering couple had lost their charm. She paid up and left.

As luck would have it, on her way back with the caramel pears, she passed the same intersection and ran into Tan Yiyuan getting beaten up again, just barely holding his own and clearly losing.

His attackers weren't using guns—they didn't want to draw the Mobile Task Force. They weren't using knives either, seeming to want him alive, probably for some judgment ceremony back at base.

Yan Xianchuan sealed the bag of caramel pears and set it down in the same spot as before.

This time, no one cursed at her, but she struck first, stopping a punch aimed at Tan Yiyuan's head. She caught the attacker's arm, swung a side kick that knocked him off balance, then drove another kick into his lower back.

The boss had ordered the traitor be taken alive, but it didn't say anything about leaving meddlers breathing. The other two lunged with daggers, but Yan Xianchuan grabbed one man's wrist and slashed it across his own throat, the gurgle of a severed windpipe filling the air as she pulled out the blade. She then blocked a white blade with sheer force, sending the other attacker stumbling, and stepped in to slit his throat as well.

The whole process was swift—not relying on finesse, but pure brute strength.

She even had the presence of mind to hop back, dodging the spray of blood.

The rest saw the tide turn and scattered. Tan Yiyuan braced his hands on his knees, panting hard, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. Gasping, he said, "Why are you... didn't I tell you to stay out of this?"

"Now it's over. You killed Black Claw people. There's no peaceful way out of this now."

Yan Xianchuan didn't offer to help him up. Instead, she threw the dagger aside casually, picked up her caramel pears, and said in a steady voice, "Do you know about adventure games?"

While Tan Yiyuan stared blankly, she went on as if to herself, "When the same thing happens twice, you can't keep running from it."

She ignored the secret thrill in her heart, writing off the nonsensical words that came from joy as the natural emotional shift of her brain when it found something interesting.

Whether it was a fleeting whim or a sudden urge, she had found a short-term goal, and wasn't that worth being happy about?

So this rising happiness was perfectly normal.

Yan Xianchuan moved her gaze from the graffiti-covered wall to Tan Yiyuan, who looked shocked and confused, her eyes calm.

"Don't move again. I'll handle the Black Claw Gang for you."